News

The City and Borough of Juneau’s City Assembly approved a tax-break Monday evening that allows people with eligible, new housing developments that include four or more units inside the downtown abatement zone to pay a reduced tax rate for 12 years. This photo shows Juneau City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)

Juneau Assembly approves tax break for downtown residential development

The change supports a long-standing goal to increase housing.

The City and Borough of Juneau’s City Assembly approved a tax-break Monday evening that allows people with eligible, new housing developments that include four or more units inside the downtown abatement zone to pay a reduced tax rate for 12 years. This photo shows Juneau City Hall on Tuesday, Oct. 24, 2020. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire File)
Judy Cavanaugh stands with others at a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office in June 2019. The Army Corps of Engineers has accepted a request for administrative appeal filed by Pebble Limited Partnership. A similar effort by the state was reject, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a news release. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

2 Pebble appeals, 2 different outcomes

Governor says states appeal rejected, but partnership appeal moves forward.

Judy Cavanaugh stands with others at a rally against the Pebble Mine in front of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Juneau office in June 2019. The Army Corps of Engineers has accepted a request for administrative appeal filed by Pebble Limited Partnership. A similar effort by the state was reject, Gov. Mike Dunleavy said in a news release. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Has it always been a police car? (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire)

Police calls for Tuesday, March 2, 2021

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

  • Mar 2, 2021
  • Juneau Empire
  • Crime
Has it always been a police car? (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire)
This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. Viruses are constantly mutating, with coronavirus variants circulating around the globe. (NIAID-RML)

COVID at a glance for Monday, March 1

The most recent state and local numbers.

This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. Viruses are constantly mutating, with coronavirus variants circulating around the globe. (NIAID-RML)
The Behrends Avenue avalanche chute is visible above the Breakwater Inn on Feb. 27, 2021, when extreme avalanche risk prompted evacuation of the area. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

Avalanche risk lowered, but the danger is still there

While the immediate risk is lessened, Juneau isn’t out of the deep end yet.

The Behrends Avenue avalanche chute is visible above the Breakwater Inn on Feb. 27, 2021, when extreme avalanche risk prompted evacuation of the area. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)
A man, seen at top center, threw snowballs at and verbally harassed a group of Alaska Native women at a rally near the Alaska State Capitol on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. (Courtesy photo / Jamiann Hasselquist)

Man disrupts event focused on missing and murdered Indigenous women

Yelling, throw snowing caught on video by organizers.

A man, seen at top center, threw snowballs at and verbally harassed a group of Alaska Native women at a rally near the Alaska State Capitol on Friday, Feb. 26, 2021. (Courtesy photo / Jamiann Hasselquist)
Members of the Alaska House of Representatives gather for a Finance Committee meeting on Monday, March 1, 2021 even after a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19. Meetings were canceled last week after Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, tested positive. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)

Work continues even with new cases at the Capitol

“Hell or high water.”

Members of the Alaska House of Representatives gather for a Finance Committee meeting on Monday, March 1, 2021 even after a staff member had tested positive for COVID-19. Meetings were canceled last week after Rep. Mike Cronk, R-Tok, tested positive. (Peter Segall / Juneau Empire)
Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, holds a copy of the Alaska Constitution during a committee hearing in Juneau, Alaska. Reinbold has been a vocal critic, along with other lawmakers, of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s disaster declarations while the Legislature was not in session. She has used her committee to amplify voices of those who question the effectiveness of masks and the usefulness of the government’s emergency response. In a scathing letter that included references to her Facebook posts, Dunleavy accused Reinbold of misrepresenting the state’s COVID-19 response and deceiving the public. “The misinformation must end,” the governor wrote. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)

Some GOP state lawmakers help spread COVID-19 misinformation

Republican state lawmakers are using their platform to promote false information about the virus.

Alaska state Sen. Lora Reinbold, an Eagle River Republican, holds a copy of the Alaska Constitution during a committee hearing in Juneau, Alaska. Reinbold has been a vocal critic, along with other lawmakers, of Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s disaster declarations while the Legislature was not in session. She has used her committee to amplify voices of those who question the effectiveness of masks and the usefulness of the government’s emergency response. In a scathing letter that included references to her Facebook posts, Dunleavy accused Reinbold of misrepresenting the state’s COVID-19 response and deceiving the public. “The misinformation must end,” the governor wrote. (AP Photo / Becky Bohrer)
City and Borough of Juneau emergency program manager Tom Mattice stands outside Centennial Hall, appropriated as an evacuation shelter for those in the path of possible avalanches on Feb. 27, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

Update: Avalanche danger remains high

Natural avalanches likely, and human triggered avalanches are very likely

City and Borough of Juneau emergency program manager Tom Mattice stands outside Centennial Hall, appropriated as an evacuation shelter for those in the path of possible avalanches on Feb. 27, 2021. (Michael S. Lockett / Juneau Empire)

Police calls for Sunday, Feb. 28, 2021

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

  • Feb 28, 2021
  • Juneau Empire
  • Crime
A magnet promoting the Alaska Reads Act released by the state last year sits atop a stack of Alaskan-authored and Alaska-centric books. A shortened session last year meant the bill, announced by Senate Minority Leader Tom Begich, D-Anchorage, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, didn't make it through the last Legislature. But there's a new bill, nearly the same as the old bill, working its way through the Senate. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file)

Reworked reading bill gets second act in Legislature

Still a ways to go.

A magnet promoting the Alaska Reads Act released by the state last year sits atop a stack of Alaskan-authored and Alaska-centric books. A shortened session last year meant the bill, announced by Senate Minority Leader Tom Begich, D-Anchorage, and Gov. Mike Dunleavy, didn't make it through the last Legislature. But there's a new bill, nearly the same as the old bill, working its way through the Senate. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire file)
This photo shows the Juneau Youth Hostel. The youth hostel is currently seeking board members. (Courtesy Photo / Jeff Gnass)

Youth Hostel seeks board members

Juneau Empire The Juneau Youth Hostel is currently recruiting members of the public to serve on its board, according to Pat Gorman, board president. The… Continue reading

  • Feb 28, 2021
This photo shows the Juneau Youth Hostel. The youth hostel is currently seeking board members. (Courtesy Photo / Jeff Gnass)
This July 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium. The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two.(Courtesy Photo / Johnson & Johnson)

1-dose shot cleared, giving US its 3rd COVID-19 vaccine

The FDA cleared it Saturday.

This July 2020 photo provided by Johnson & Johnson shows a vial of the COVID-19 vaccine in Belgium. The U.S. is getting a third vaccine to prevent COVID-19, as the Food and Drug Administration on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2021 cleared a Johnson & Johnson shot that works with just one dose instead of two.(Courtesy Photo / Johnson & Johnson)
This map shows the Behrends Avenue Avalanche Path. City and Borough of Juneau recommends residents who live within the path evacuate their residences due to increasing risk of avalanche danger. Centennial Hall will open as an emergency shelter at 8 p.m. (Courtesy Image / CBJ)

City recommends evacuation for downtown Juneau neighborhood

Centennial Hall to open as evacuation center.

This map shows the Behrends Avenue Avalanche Path. City and Borough of Juneau recommends residents who live within the path evacuate their residences due to increasing risk of avalanche danger. Centennial Hall will open as an emergency shelter at 8 p.m. (Courtesy Image / CBJ)
An investigation into a complaint from an inmate at Lemon Creek Correctional Center, shown above, exposed issues with the Alaska Department of Corrections Dental Services Program. (Michael S. Lockett | Juneau Empire)

Report: Overhaul needed for DOC’s dental program

An investigation into an incident at Lemon Creek Correctional Center exposed shortcomings in the Department of Corrections’ Dental Services Program, according to a report from… Continue reading

An investigation into a complaint from an inmate at Lemon Creek Correctional Center, shown above, exposed issues with the Alaska Department of Corrections Dental Services Program. (Michael S. Lockett | Juneau Empire)
This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. Viruses are constantly mutating, with coronavirus variants circulating around the globe. (NIAID-RML)

COVID at a glance for Friday, Feb. 26

The most recent state and local numbers.

This 2020 electron microscope image provided by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases - Rocky Mountain Laboratories shows SARS-CoV-2 virus particles which cause COVID-19, isolated from a patient in the U.S., emerging from the surface of cells cultured in a lab. Viruses are constantly mutating, with coronavirus variants circulating around the globe. (NIAID-RML)
Former DHS employee Bert Christopher Heitstuman was arrested in Anchorage Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 for multiple counts of sexual assault. (Courtesy photo / Department of Law)

Ex-DHS officer indicted on sexual assault charges

The alleged offenses occurred between 2012 and 2018.

Former DHS employee Bert Christopher Heitstuman was arrested in Anchorage Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021 for multiple counts of sexual assault. (Courtesy photo / Department of Law)
A male pink salmon fights its way up stream to spawn in a Southeast Alaska stream in August 2010. A recent report out of Washington state details a dire situation for the state’s salmon. Advocates in Alaska say the report offers a warning to Alaska about salmon-safe development. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)

Salmon advocates: Dire Washington report offers warning to Alaska

A salmon story with a different ending?

A male pink salmon fights its way up stream to spawn in a Southeast Alaska stream in August 2010. A recent report out of Washington state details a dire situation for the state’s salmon. Advocates in Alaska say the report offers a warning to Alaska about salmon-safe development. (Michael Penn / Juneau Empire File)
Tucker Cooper, a member of the ski patrol at Eaglecrest Ski Area, measures an area where snow has broken off in an avalanche on Feb. 21, 2021. All of Juneau is at a high risk of avalanches due to a unique set of circumstances on the weekend of Feb. 27, 2021. (Courtesy photo / Calder Otsea)

Juneau area at high risk for ‘historic’ avalanches

A month of weird weather has created a uniquely loaded set of dice.

Tucker Cooper, a member of the ski patrol at Eaglecrest Ski Area, measures an area where snow has broken off in an avalanche on Feb. 21, 2021. All of Juneau is at a high risk of avalanches due to a unique set of circumstances on the weekend of Feb. 27, 2021. (Courtesy photo / Calder Otsea)
Taking up as much space as Rhode Island, Malaspina Glacier spills onto flats near the Gulf of Alaska. (Courtesy Photo Martin Truffer)

Alaska Science Forum: Malaspina Glacier gets up and goes

It’s pancake-shaped and the size of Rhode Island.

Taking up as much space as Rhode Island, Malaspina Glacier spills onto flats near the Gulf of Alaska. (Courtesy Photo Martin Truffer)